by Gavin Seim: In 2007 I wrote an article about using true HDR techniques with people. Yep, portraits, fashion and wedding images can be utterly amazing using High Dynamic Range. HDR is not just reserved for nature and still life. We’ve been using it at Seim Studios for some time nowand it blows clients away.Heres some of my secret sauce to get you started with HDR portraits and a few of my own images.

What’s HDR All About?
First lets cover basics. If you’re already an HDR master you can skip this part. HDR stands for High Dynamic Range. It’s better seen than described, so other than the images I’ve included in this article, you can see more on my website.

HDR is the combining of light and dark tones of multiple images taken at varied exposure levels and then blended using software like Photomatix, Photoshop, or another HDR program. Photomatix is the most popular among HDR fans and we have a deal worked out with them. You can save 15% with promo code PPS15. Basically this software blending allows the photographer to selectively choose how much light he wants in various parts of the image. You’ll have a light to dark range that’s much higher than that of a normal exposure, thus giving you much more control over the final image.

So you’ve probably heard about HDR photography, and you may be wondering what you can do with it and why it’s so cool.
By Gavin Seim: This is not a short article but it will explain a lot about HDR photography and why its so amazing. Today we’re going to talk about the editing techniques I used to create “Look To The Wind” the bride on the beach image that you probably have heard mentioned on Pro Photo Show, and maybe seen on the net. Also below are some additional links for things relevant to HDR.

HDR is a method of taking multiple images and combining them in a high dynamic range file. Lets say you take three images of the exact same scene, at various exposure levels. Standard images are only around 8 bits each, basically meaning that their ability to correctly expose dark scenes while keeping bright scenes from getting overexposed is limited.

So to make an HDR you might take one image that’s underexposed, one image over, and one with correct exposure. Then using software you can combine the shadow and highlight details from all the images into a single image is called an HDR, It’s the combined bits of these images, and is usually a 32 bit image when converted. What does 32bit mean to you? It means it can contain far more light. Even though the actual resolution of the image is not increased the details inside it are much higher. The HDR Photography technique is most often done with nature or still life images, but I have been doing extensive experimenting with this technique in portraits as well with good results, as we’ll see today.

So lets look at an example. In this image I took three shots of the bride on the beach using continuous shooting mode with auto exposure bracketing. This along with a model holding as still as possible, and a fairly wide angle scene made “Look To The Wind” Possible possible (click for a larger version) You can read more about HDR portrait techniques in my HDR portrait article.

There a a few ways to take the three images and make an HDR from them. First take your images in unedited raw form. You could do it with jpegs, but raw will give you the best results. Don’t correct the raw files before converting to HDR. There is a very basic tool in Photoshop for converting the images called Merge To HDR (File/Automate/Merge To HDR) This allows you to select you images, and it will combine them into and 32 bit image. You then can use tools to adjust the levels, and curves of the image mix to try and get a good result.

One of the most powerful features of Adobe Lightroom is presets. And you’ve just found the biggest, best maintained list of free LR presets anywhere. I hunt the web for these, trying to add the best and filter out the dead ends. There’s plenty to browse. And feel free to share your favorites in the comments (freebies only).

LR4 and LR5 Presets: The develop module changed in LR4 and most LR3 presets will not fully function under the new process. As more LR4 presets are becoming available I’ll add to the list. I’ll also note listings that I’ve been able to verify are LR4 Compatible. Non-marked listing may be LR1,2 and 3 only.

NOTE: In LR 1-3 separate JPEG and RAW presets were needed. In LR4 this is not the case. since the process changes, all images are processed the same and any LR4 preset works on any image.

Also check out my presets for Lightroom 1-5. My full collections are guaranteed are worth the cost. But there’s also loads of freebies (linked below). I’m fanatical about quality and honored that they’ve become so well regarded my peers. OK, now on to the goodies. Oh and if you use Apple Aperture, here’s the free Aperture presets list.

Jack Davis’s Perfect Presets Collection (LR 2-3).
This is a download from our friends over at OnOne Software. A large preset collection that is organized in a tidy list. Well put together with lots of effects.

Wonderland Free Presets (LR1-3).
A free sampler pack from their Lightroom Presets collections. It looks like they have LR4 presets coming so we’ll keep watching.

These are a few of my favorite special effects from my Power Workflow. 400 is loosely based on the very popular “300”series by Mikelao. It’s a cool fantasy effect that adds some snappy drama to a scene.

Fantasy is a preset I use all the time, and have found it to be very useful since it gives a creative look. Fantasy Basic is a great lightweight general use effect that gives a nice gentle look. It works great on nearly any image. There’s more variations in the my complete set but this should get you rocking!